Eclipse Viewer Made of C-stands, etc....

On a related note, a warning not to use regular ND filters to shoot the eclipse unless they also filter Infrared. You can damage your sensor, as well as your eyes if you think you can use them to view the eclipse through them directly.
 
Clipping a large portion here since this PSA ...

http://www.tidelandshealth.org/see-it-safely/the-suns-danger-during-an-eclipse/


Failing to heed warnings about the danger of UV rays can have serious consequences. A form of radiation, UV rays can damage the outer layers of the eyes, a condition called photokeratitis, or more seriously, damage the retina.

Photokeratitis

Photokeratitis, commonly known as snow blindness, is akin to a sunburn of the eye. It’s a painful condition caused by too much UV exposure and is normally not noticeable until a few hours after the damage occurs. Photokeratitis can be caused by sun reflecting from sand, water, ice and snow, or through tanning lamps and arc welding. Symptoms include blurry vision, tearing, sensitivity to bright light, seeing halos and twitching eyelids.

The damage from photokeratitis typically goes away on its own in a few days. It can be prevented through the use of proper eyewear, including a welder’s mask or by wearing glasses or goggles that block high amounts of UV light.

Solar Retinopathy

Of greater concern during an eclipse is solar retinopathy, the name given to eye damage caused by directly looking at the sun. It occurs when UV light from the sun burns the retina and destroys the cells that allow us to see.

The process is painless because the retina has no pain receptors, and the damage typically isn’t noticeable until it’s too late.

Solar retinopathy can cause permanent vision loss, depending on the severity of the eye damage. Without the use of appropriate protective eyewear, solar retinopathy can occur when someone looks at even the smallest portion of the sun, even when it doesn’t feel uncomfortable to do so.

Sunglasses, polarizing filters, smoked glass and other forms of non-approved eye protection are not safe to use to look at the sun during an eclipse, even if they appear to dim the sun’s rays.

The only way to safely look at the sun is through the use of special-purpose solar filters, including eclipse glasses and hand-held solar viewers.

Learn more about protecting your eyes during the eclipse by going here.
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Just out of curiosity, why do people want to photograph this so much? Does it somehow differ from the other modern eclipses that have been photographed over the past twenty or so years? It's cool but I don't get the mania that has surrounded this particular eclipse. Do people just need distraction I can't recall so much hype around an eclipse in the past couple of decades.
 
puredrifting said:
Just out of curiosity, why do people want to photograph this so much? Does it somehow differ from the other modern eclipses that have been photographed over the past twenty or so years? It's cool but I don't get the mania that has surrounded this particular eclipse. Do people just need distraction I can't recall so much hype around an eclipse in the past couple of decades.
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It gives people something different from their normal day to day routine and the hype that it's been 99 years since the last one adds to it.
 
firehawk said:
It gives people something different from their normal day to day routine and the hype that it's been 99 years since the last one adds to it.
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Thanks for the context, I have not looked into it, been too busy working and shooting, but I have noticed the immense hype about this week.
 
The internet makes things seem much larger than they may otherwise be. But remember that past humans have slaughtered thousands in sacrifice to bring the Sun back from the evil Moon, or some other such weirdness.
 
Greg_E said:
The internet makes things seem much larger than they may otherwise be. But remember that past humans have slaughtered thousands in sacrifice to bring the Sun back from the evil Moon, or some other such weirdness.
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We should probably tear down the moon.
 
The last total eclipse in the US was February 26, 1979, and only visible in the Pacific Northwest.

The total solar eclipse of June 8, 1918 crossed the United States from Washington State to Florida, a path very similar to this one and was the last time totality crossed the nation from the Pacific to the Atlantic.

Have you ever been in the path of one? It's quite eerie and strange to see a disc cover the sun and feel the temp drop 20 or so degrees.

This one's getting the hype because of how news and the internet work today...

DLD said:
I just stumbled over the ABC News clip from February, 26, 1979 (always liked Frank Reynolds for nostalgic reasons).

http://abcnews.go.com/US/back-1979-total-solar-eclipse/story?id=49310831
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Hmmm... speaking of Frank Reynolds... this is pretty interesting and well done:
https://vimeo.com/229528487
 
puredrifting said:
Just out of curiosity, why do people want to photograph this so much? Does it somehow differ from the other modern eclipses that have been photographed over the past twenty or so years? It's cool but I don't get the mania that has surrounded this particular eclipse. Do people just need distraction I can't recall so much hype around an eclipse in the past couple of decades.
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I wouldn't call it a mania. People are photographing their dinner and putting it on facebook, so I'd say an event as rare as this deserves some attention.

I drove 8 hours to get the one-minute 45 seconds total eclipse experience (I drove 15 minutes short of the full two minute eclipse at Madras to get ahead of the post eclipse traffic wave). I didn't bring any cameras. I wanted to experience the full hour of the event up to the total eclipse without being distracted with getting pictures/video. It was pretty amusing to see people with wide angle lenses and no filters aiming their cameras up to the sky.

For me, the partial eclipse is meh. It's the same as the phases of the moon. But the total eclipse gave me a great sense of awe. Unimpeded by glasses, we all stared at the eclipse. I could not take my eyes off of it. It was quite a singular experience.
 
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